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I wish I was a song writer. I would write a love song about my hair. I would write about how long it took me to fall in love with it, how I wanted to change it into something it could never be, then how my hair became my one true love. Are there already too many stories about Black women’s hair? Black women’s hair is fascinating. And, it is a battleground. Black and Proud. Black is Beautiful. #BlackGirlMagic. They all require interaction with the wonder of Black women’s hair.
I’m thinking ... Read More

In November 2012, I received a phone call from the then YWCA Board Chair. She offered me the position of President & CEO of the YWCA. I did everything I could to hold in my squeal. I’d just been offered my dream job. I was going to be able to use my knowledge and skills working for a bold mission. I would be leading an organization with a great history and a strong importance in my community. I was going to be a part of a global social movement.
The last four and a half years have been ... Read More

Happy 4th of July! A day to celebrate our country’s Declaration of Independence. And, what exactly is independence? It seems very clear in reading history that the 13 colonies were asking for their own voice. “No taxation without representation” and when that wasn’t answered we declared war in order to have independence. Since this is what our country was built on, I believe that should be a clear definition of Independence. Whenever we discuss an independent person, we should be working with ... Read More

In high school, my older sister played this game with us. She would take off out of the driveway very slowly with the passenger car door open and we’d have to jump in before she drove off. She said, “You have to learn this to be prepared for when the White people come.” Had she only experienced violent White people that she lived her life in fear of them “coming”? No, White people have been our caretakers and loved ones, always. I remember very fondly my hometown in South Dakota and the White ... Read More

Please Join us for a Special Celebration of Women in Military
The YWCA New Mexico will commemorate the 69th Anniversary of the signing of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act next week. The Act was a hard fight for three years in congress and finally signed into law on June 12, 1948. We celebrate that women were heavily involved in military before this date and that the number of women in the military has been steadily growing ever since. We'd like to welcome you to be a part of this ... Read More

WonderWoman the movie is coming out this weekend and I am super hyped. For so many reasons I have been waiting for this movie. First, I am so excited about seeing Robin Wright. She is aging wonderfully and showing a full range of talent in her work. Loved her 20 years ago in Princess Bride and loving her now—beauty has aged, not faded. Also, the introduction of WonderWoman in Batman v. Superman made this rendering of WonderWoman something to look forward to. As she came on the screen in the last ... Read More

If you missed out on the Stand Against Racism event on April 27th, no worries, I’m giving some summary thoughts here today. Stand Against Racism is an annual signature program of the YWCA movement. Over 750 events took place the last week in April. It is a loud voice, a call to action, for the ending of racism. This year the theme was Women of Color Leading Change.
Here in New Mexico, we assembled an amazing panel of women of color, leaders and experts in their fields to discuss the ... Read More

Do you remember when you became a feminist? I do! I’m often embarrassed to share it, because it seems so childish and extremely uninformed. So, challenging my fears, I tell you the story now. One day in junior high I went to the gym for volleyball practice and the wrestling team had posted up in the gym, even though it was our practice day. I said hello to all the boys and went to sit in the bleachers, joining my teammates on the bleachers, not changing into my practice clothes. Our coach ... Read More

Last summer I was hugged by the Movement. You may have had a similar experience. Being in a place where everyone around you was just getting it. A moment to relax because you were in a place where you didn’t have to convince anyone that women’s equity makes sense. That women’s should control their own bodies. That young women have something to say and we should be listening. That place for me last summer was the first ever United State of Women Summit.
I was honored to be chosen by the ... Read More

Neil Degrasse Tyson said something on CBS This Morning the other day that made me go, “Hmmm.” He said, we are all looking for our way to be unique, but what if the amazing thing is that we are all the same. Yes, Dr. Tyson, yes I’m the same as so many others. He of course was talking about our biology, but I’m talking about the stories we tell that are the same, the stories of our treatment in this society. I am constantly amazed at how much I have in common with other Black women. Rarely do ... Read More